Switch-operating mechanism.



No. 797,467. PATENTED AUG. l5, 1905.. R. M. STEPHENS & J'. H. HOLLAND.

SWITCH OPERATING MEGHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 2s, 1905.

Nl'flE SAME@ PAiElilrll tliliilltllltllih HUBERT M. STEPHEN S ANU JAhlES H. iiULLAN D, OE tlrlliltOl'lLlfN, U-EURGIA.

Specieation o1" Letters Patent.

'.Patented Aug. l5, 1905 Application filed April 28, 1905. Serial No. 257,938.

To {1J/, wifi/011?, it 771,04/ con/cern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT M. S'rnrmfins and J Anne H. HOLLAND, citizens of the United idtates, residing1 at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful improvements in Switch-Operatingllrlfechanism, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to certain new and uselul improvements in switch operatingI mechanism, and has 'for its object to provide novel n'leehanism operatively associated with the switch-points combined with devices carried by the car for operating1 said mechanism at will. i

ln order that the invention may be clearly understood, we have illustrated the same in ihe accompanyingl drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of a section ot' a track provided with our improved switch-actuating apparatus. Eig. f2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2 oi" Fig. 2; and Fig. -3 is a sectional detail View ot' the forward portion of a car, showing in elevatioironc ot' the devices for operating the switch-actuating levers.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the rails of the main line, and 2 the rails olE the switch, said rails being` supported upon the ordinary cross-ties 3, as usual.

4C indicates the switch-point, which is pivotally connected at 5 to the switch-rail Q in the usual manner.

Pivotally mounted on the under side oi a cross-tie 5, located adjacent to the switchpoint 4, is a bell-crank lever 6, having' a long arm 7 pivotally connected at its outer end to a rod 8, which in turn is pivotally connected to the switch-point t. The pivot for the hellcrank lever is indicated at 9, one end o1 said pivot being suitably mounted in the cross-tie and the other end in the metal plate l0, secured on the under side of said cross-tie, the latter being suitably recessed, as indicated by 1l, to provide a housing for said level'.

12 13 indicate, respectively, throw-levers which are pivotally mounted at one end in the outer ends of the arms 14 oi" the bell-crank lever.

l5 16 indicate, respectively, trip -levers which are pivotally mounted on a bar 17, supported in blocks '18, extending between two of the ties or :in any other manner that may be preferred. Each of the trip-levers is bili'urcated at its lower end, as indicated at 19,

l the trip-lever '15.

and the throw-lever l2 is pivotally mounted at its other end in the biturcated portion ol The throw-lever l2 is similarly pivotally connected with the trip-level' 16. ils will be clearly apparent, a movingI body engaging' either one ot' the trip-levers l5 or 16 will operate to turn the bell-crank lever on its pivot E), and thus cause the switchpoint to move toward or from the rail l, depending upon which ol the triiii-levers is operated and the direction in which the body is moving. This operation of the trip-levers is preferably caused by the devices illustrated in Eig. 8, only one ol which is shown in detail, however. Referring to this ligure, 2O indicates a vsq nare pin which passes through and works in a correspimdingly-shaped aperture formed in the e:n-plati'orm 2.1 and also toward its lower end in a housing 22, having a squared opening for receiving said pin and suspended from the bottom oli' the plat'lforln by means ol bolts i3 engaging ears 24e on opposite sides oll said housing. A brace-rod 25, bolted at one end to an ear 26 on the bottom ol' said housing and at its other end to the car body or platform, suitably braces the housing 22. A coil-slning 2G is interposed between the housing 22 and a collar 27, secured on the pin 20 and located on the under side of the platform, said collar serving, as will be understood, to limit the upward movement of the pin 20. A similar collar 28, secured on the pin 2O above the platform, limits the downward movement of said pin. 29 indicates a cap orkhead secured on the Lipper end of the pin 20 and ail'ording a sul'liciently broad bearing-surface for the foot o'l the motornian. The lower end oiE the pin 2O is bit'urcated, as indi cated at B0, and in this bifurcated portieri is rotatably mounted a wheel 3l. ',lhe pin 2() is mounted at one side o'f'the platform Qil, and a similar pin 2O is mounted at the other side oi. said ijllatt'orm.

ln operation as the car miproaches the switch the motornian will depress one or the other of the pins 20, and thus bring the roller 3l in position to come in contact with one or the other of the trip-levers i5 1G, according to the movement it is desired to impart to the switch-point 4. Oi' course as one ot the triplevers is depressed by the roller 3l the other trip-lever will be elevated. Each car will be provided at both ends with the aetuatingpins 20, so that switches can be operated by a car moving in either direction. In the construction illustrated it will of course be apparent that the switch mechanism is one operated by a car traveling from left to right of the drawings, the car travelingl in the other direction operating the switch-point, if the latter be closed, b v the flange of its wheel, as usual. if the switch-point be in the proper position to cause the car to take the desired direction, neither or' the pins 2O is depressed and the rollers 3l pass the trip-levers without engaging them.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure b v Letters Patent, is-

1. A switch-operating` device comprising in combination with a pivotcd switch-point, a bell-crank lever pivotally mounted in relation thereto, a rod pivotally connecting said switch to one arm of said bell-crank lever, a pair of upright trip-levers pivotally mounted inter mediate their ends side by side adjacent to said bell-crank lever and normally projectingl above the track, a pair of throw-levers connected at opposite ends, respectively, to the other arms of said bell-crank lever and to the lower ends of said trip-levers, and depressible means comprisingI a pair of spring-controlled pins carried by a car for actuating' one or the other of said trip-levers.

2. Switch-operating mechanism comprising' in combination with a pivoted switch-point and means for moving; the same, comprising a pair oi' upright trip-levers pivotally mounted intermediate their ends and normallyT projecting'above the track, devices carried by a car for actuating one or the other of said triplevers, each of said devices comprising a housing` mounted below the car-platform, a pin mounted and adapted to work in said housing and having` its upper end extending` through and projecting above the car-platform', a collar secured on said pin below the car-platform, a coiled spring interposed between said collar and said housing, and a roller mounted in the lower end of said pin.

In testimony whereoil we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT M. STEPHENS. JAMES H. HOLLAND. Titnessesz SAMUEL H. PIERCE, lVnsLnY BAsKIN. 

